Intensity, 5x7 Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

5x7" Oil Painting "Intensity"

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Did you know that Tuesday was National Dog Day?  Yeah, well, .... we celebrated it in our house!  No, not Harry, the orange cat or Isabelle the torti cat, but Paco and I... and my husband (who did not know exactly that he was celebrating).  I love this painting.  It was part of my 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge with Leslie Saeta.   I really like that you have to delve... dig and be creative - because trust me, no matter how much you love your subject, at about day 10 you are smacking yourself in the forehead asking everyone you know why they let you commit to this!  And you get to know a subject INSIDER OUT! :D

So.  Here I am, considering it again for September.  I have a really, really, really busy month.  I'm doing a workshop on Cuttyhunk Island as part of the Cuttyhunk Island Artist Retreat.  I'm teaching at the Providence Art Club.  And I'm teaching 3 Fridays at the Portsmouth Arts Guild on Aquidneck Island. (Please ignore the typo's, I just copied and pasted from their website):

Honestly, I'm just glad there are 2 e's in my first name and an 'a' in my last name.  I don't ask for much! But there are still a few spots left if you're interested!

One more, kind of personal, thing.  I actually consider all you guys my friends.  You are, actually, more real than my Facebook friends, since you've shared my journey for many years, so... OK.  I haven't posted since Open Studios, which was fine, fun and fabulous.  Because as I was catching my breath over that, we learned that my godchild is very sick.  With God's grace she will not only survive but thrive, but it's been a rocky week, and honestly, I couldn't paint.  I couldn't even string a thought together.  All the crazy stuff going on in the world, and then to find out someone who is wonderful in a 'lit from within' way is literally holding on by a thread.  So.... if you can spare a prayer, we'll take it.  Thank you.  And now.... I promise surprises and fun scenes from Open Studios tomorrow.  Goodnight and thank you.

Birthday Pug, 6x6 Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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This week my little pal Paco turned 4.  FOUR years old!  Hard to believe, and oh, how time flies.  For such an alpha-pup, he has turned out to be almost mello - and sweeter than sweet.  Pugs are very intuitive, and they are so attached to their people that it's painful for them to be apart from their people.  So, lucky for both of us he can come to 'work' with me!  He's mostly very good.

And I have 5 more boxes unpacked in my studio.  95 more to go.  :)

Pug Time, 5x7 Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

This is a very sweet little pug.  I can't remember who sent me this photo!  People have been so generous about sending images... well, she/he was a good 'model'.  I was aiming for looseness.  I can't tell, it being kind of late here, if the image is not the clearest.  If that is the case, I will swap it out for a sharper one tomorrow.  

This is the kind of day it was here:  street flooded with a broken water main, turning the driveway/yard and entire street into a frozen river; treated myself to a big cup of coffee, only to watch it slip out of my gloved hand on the way in to the studio as it bounced, intact, down 5 steps, rolled onto a carpet mat, and slowly (well, not really) the lid opened, dumping my entire coffee in a huge puddle on a clean carpet;  got my car swiped in the parking lot while I was teaching... and did I mention it was 16 degrees at it's warmest today, without factoring the wind chill?

But I had a great class (I love their energy, enthusiasm and seriousness~!).  Paco came to class today at the Art Club and was (mostly) quiet and well behaved, and the President of the club said he was always welcome, and when I got home my son and husband were wonderful, treating me to pizza that I did not have to make. :)  Life IS good.

Brrrrrr...Pug! 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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This is my Paco, last year on a walk in the snow.  Now... don't be all "Shouldn't he have a jacket?  Shouldn't he have little Pug boots?"  because I've spent a LOT of money, even having a custom made coat made for him, and he'll have none of it!  He does like a quick walk if the wind is damp and cold and howling, but as long as he gets a good snuggle when he comes in, (and he does) he's happier au natural!

I painted this, then had fun flinging the big 'flakes' of snow.  The texture was fun ;)

Sleeping In, 5x7 Inches Oil Painting by Kelley Macdonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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The story:  One warm Summer morning I woke up to a pink and aqua world, and though it was just almost dawn, I got up, made some tea and headed to the front porch to watch the world light up.  Of course Paco could not let me be by myself, but MY GOODNESS it was early.  Way too early. So he begged for me to hold him in my lap, which I did. And Paco relaxed in my arm (you can see it here supporting him as he dozed in the crook of my arm).   

So he's not an early riser.  He has other qualities.  I could just kiss that little wrinkly chin!  I ought to tell everyone that this is just the 3rd time I've painted Paco this month.  I know everyone thinks a lot of these pugs are my own dog, but they are not!  I would never dress him up - he's not that kind of dog.  :D

We are past the halfway point in our 30 Paintings in 30 Days.

Also.... anyone who wants to come to the Saturday Painting Class (10 a.m. in Warren) - even as a drop-in... come on over.  32 Cole Street in Warren.  You can pay as you go.  No worries.  I'd rather you painted than not!  

...What? 6x6 Inche Painting Of a Pug by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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Just adore her little face...  that's all I can say...

Cat'll Get Your Tongue! 6x6 Inch Oil Painting of a Pug by Kelley MacDonald

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Well, Blogger is behaving badly tonight, and I am just hoping that this little guy gets posted!  Sweet little face.  Lots of pugs have that 'tongue sticking out' thing - but usually AKC breeders are careful not to get tongues that are too long.  

See, when we mess with the anatomy (breeding the snout shorter and shorter to be pretty much non-existent, don't get me started on  us modifying animals.... much as I love dog breeds) we take lots of chances.  To minimize the bad results that could occur (just think - the muzzle gets shorter, but loops, the tongue stays long, or the palette gets shoved back into the esophagus (sp), the eye sockets can be too shallow, etc. etc.) breeders go back a few generations on BOTH parent's sides and see if any of those dogs/bitches have had any problems.

When people do not do this and they just have 2 cute dogs they want to breed, they take big risks - and hey, the puppies are so CUTE, right?  But that's what you pay $1,000 or so per puppy for, to get the lineage clear.  Nothing's ever guaranteed in life, so things could still pop up, but things that can go wrong can go SO wrong, and break your heart, and cause such sickness and sorrow for all concerned - really, really think before you purchase a dog that is a purebred without papers.

End of lecture!

Love, 5x7 Inch Oil Painting of a Pug by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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Now I ask you... is this little face not ADORABLE?  There's a bit of glare but that's because the paint was so wet when I took the photo.  I have always loved Black Pugs.  (Yes, that was before Paco showed me how vastly superior Fawn Pugs are...) 

I'm enjoying the heat wave here in Rhode Island - the only like of heat wave I can bear - it's been 52 degrees!  I'll take it....  be well, friends...

Almost halfway through my 30 paintings in 30 days.. and I must say - once you get into it... it's not so bad!

Pug In Snow, 6x6 Inches, Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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When pugs are sad, they relax two things, their curly tail and their wrinkly forehead.  So when Paco is sad, we say he's a 'round headed pug'.  One thing that would make him sad is to be outside (in our fenced yard BY HIMSELF.  Doesn't matter the weather.  Doesn't matter how many toys.  The thing that makes Paco sad is being without his person.  

Now, this puggie isn't Paco, but I love the little round head, sitting on the steps in the snow... I know that look!  He's probably been there all of 5 minutes, so he can 'go' outside.  If he were Paco he'd 'hold it' for hours, rather than spend one minute by himself outside.  I so enjoyed painting this one.  I found the image on a Facebook page for pug owners.  They are a hoot!

This weekend... no cocktails... candy!  (OK, YOU go ahead and enjoy the cocktails...)